Inside the Chinese lab that plans to rewire the world with AI

The ticket kiosks at Shanghai’s frenetic subway station have a mind of their own.

Walk up to one and state your destination, and it’ll automatically recommend a route before issuing a ticket. It’ll even check your identification (a necessary step in China) by looking at your face. In the interest of reducing the rush-hour stampede, the system is set up to let you find information and buy tickets without pushing a button or talking to a person.